An Oceanic Flight
by Caitriona3
Summary: Winter Shock #6 - It was a long flight. - Continues my AU universe where Jane & Darcy make a new friend while in Norway. Series is drifting towards Bucky/Darcy. You must read the series in order for it to make sense.


_Author's Note - One - I'm sorry if people think I'm being nasty to Natasha, and that's going to change, but...remember, she sees the Winter Soldier. She's not seeing Bucky. It's an entirely different outlook. This will evolve as the story line goes along, but it has to get to that point. Definitely not meaning to hate on Nat. I also love the serial kind of way I'm writing this. I feel like I should be putting a note at the bottom. "Join us next time - same Bat-time, same Bat-channel." Or whatever the right equivalent would be!_

**An Oceanic Flight**

The ride had been long, tense, and nerve-wracking. Darcy and Jane took turns sleeping, but they never slept well, and Bucky didn't sleep at all. Hardly anyone spoke more than absolutely necessary. She had to admit, Steve and Coulson tried, but it pretty much died away in the atmosphere of the plane. Clint seemed unhappy about something – he hadn't smiled since Tromso. Natasha divided her time between keeping a wary eye on Bucky and a…well, Darcy kind of thought she might be concerned, but her expression changed less than Coulson's, so it was hard to tell. Whatever it was, the other half of the red-head's attention went to Clint. Darcy kept a close eye on _her_ from where she slumped against Bucky. His arm curled around her, tucking her into his side.

His voice suddenly rumbled low in her ear. "Jane sleeping?" He shifted a bit, but held her still when she would have sat up to give him room.

"Yeah," Darcy whispered back. She looked down where her friend's head was pillowed on her lap. Carefully Darcy combed her fingers through Jane's hair. "I think she might finally really be out."

"Naturally," he huffed, amusement clear in his tone. "If this thing is moving as fast as I think it is, we should be hitting the eastern seaboard soon."

"Oh, goodie," she sighed, leaning into him a bit more. "These things should come with radios."

She felt the chuckle he managed to swallow before his breath brushed past her ear and she had to concentrate on repressing a shiver. "There's always your iPod."

"Too hard to keep up with all the crazy things going on if I've got those earplugs in," she replied, smirking in Coulson's direction. His eyebrow twitched in curiosity only to drop into a confused frown as she just let the smile grow a little larger.

Steve shifted, then stilled. She didn't even need to turn her head to know Bucky's eyes had zeroed in on the movement. The sudden tightening of his arm and the tautness of the form behind her gave more than enough proof. The entire situation with Steve and Natasha kind of boggled the mind. Her thoughts circled back to Tromso and the reactions she'd observed. Natasha did not trust Bucky and seemed to expect trouble, but Steve… Something in his eyes tugged at her heartstrings. He knew Bucky. She didn't know how, other than it had to have been in the past, but his eyes held such a shadow of painful hope.

Bucky shifted a bit and now she let herself turn her gaze up to him. "You okay?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he answered, just as low. His fingers flexed against her waist and she put her moved her free hand to rest on top of his. The corner of his mouth quirked up as his eyes moved down to meet hers. "I'm okay."

"We'll figure this out," she told him. It had been her mantra any time the fog of the past started to bother him. He would get the flashes of memory, disjointed and confusing, and they would send him into a dark mood. The sharpest memories involved anger and death, fear and pain. It bothered him, she and Jane could see that, but it also made him more vigilant.

"Yeah, I know." His head dropped down for a moment, his face pressing lightly into her hair. She could hear him draw in a deep breath. Then his hand moved from her waist to card a lock or two of Jane's hair before returning to curl around her. She felt him relax as much as he would let himself, so she did the same.

Leaning her head back into his shoulder, she allowed herself to fall into a light, light doze. A sound, a move would wake her, but for the moment everything seemed peaceful enough. SHIELD seemed to be staying on its side of the playground, Jane was finally getting some real sleep, and Bucky stood guard. It occurred to her, even as she drifted, that Steve's broken look sure reminded her of the longing in Bucky's eyes when he watched her and Jane.

"Wish I had my computer," she murmured. "Could look it up."

"Rest." His whisper, nothing more than a mere rumbling breath, gave her the last bit of persuasion she needed and the world went dark.

A sudden bump brought her awake with a light jolt. "Huh? What?"

"I'm up!" Jane sat up abruptly, eyes blinking owlishly. She looked around, confusion clear in her still sleep-blurred eyes. "What's going on?"

"We've landed," Bucky told them, a tense note in his voice. The two women frowned at each other and then looked out the windows.

Darcy stared at the sight. It looked like they had landed on the deck of some gargantuan aircraft carrier. The place crawled with uniforms. Her wide eyes flew to meet Bucky's guarded gaze. She could see the suspicion and wariness swirling in them.

"Oh, hell, no," Jane muttered. Darcy and Bucky looked over in time to see her turn a burning gaze on Coulson. "I'm sorry," she said in her softest voice, "but were we unclear about something?"

The agent met her eyes before he shifted his attention to Darcy. For her part, Darcy was doing her best to become part of the furniture, or failing that, to burrow into Bucky. She knew that voice. She had seen Jane like this once before, and there was no way, _no way_, she was getting in the line of fire. The last time Jane used that tone of voice she sent two award-winning scientists, a police chief, and an ex-boyfriend running for cover. Jane Foster could lay claim to many, many attributes, but no one ever understood just how dangerous the five foot three pixie of a woman could be.

"We're just switching rides," Clint spoke up for the first time since they boarded the plane in Norway. He stood up, stepping away from his partner, moving forward until Bucky began to stand. Clint stopped and lifted his hands. "I promise we're just here to grab the next ride." He tilted his head towards Steve. "Cap says we go, so we're going. The new ride can land on the roof of our destination."

There was a moment of silence before Bucky spoke in a cool, measured voice, "Which is?"

"Stark mansion."

"Get out," Darcy quipped. "As in Tony Stark, all-around playboy, 'I-am-Iron-Man' Stark mansion?"

"Yep," Clint replied, his lips quirking into an amused smile. He met Bucky's eyes before taking a breath and looking back at Darcy. "Got anywhere else in mind? Kind of think New Mexico's not quite ready for you two to go back yet. They're still rebuilding last I saw."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "You're not so cute, Barton."

"You adore me, Lewis."

"Keep telling yourself that, Robin Hood."

"Oh, wonderful," Jane muttered, turning her eyes to Bucky. "We're going to be in a house with an egotistical playboy genius, a hero from the history books, a woman who wants to kill us, an agent who likes to take our stuff, and a guy who can incite Darcy to the heights of sarcastic verbal warfare." She gave him a pleading look. "Just shoot me now?"

"You enjoy the warfare," Darcy protested.

Steve chuckled lightly. "There will also be another doctor there," he told them. "Dr. Bruce Banner-"

"Banner?" Jane's eyes went wide for a moment before a smile stretched over her lips. "Bruce Banner from Culver University?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded.

"Okay, fine, that's better." Jane looked back to Bucky and Darcy. "I want to meet Dr. Banner."

"Kid in a candy shop," Bucky muttered, though his eyes continued to watch the SHIELD team. Darcy giggled.

Jane's eyes narrowed, but before she could say anything, Coulson cleared his throat. "All of your belongings are being delivered to Stark mansion at this time," he informed them. "And Agent Romanoff has no desire to kill you."

"Aim for any of us and you're aiming for all of us," Jane told him, her narrowed eyes moving to focus on Natasha. "I'll put up with this because I want to meet Banner, plus he," she pointed to Steve, "seems trustworthy enough, and because he," now her finger moved towards Clint, "has been honest with us in the past. But she," her eyes moved back to the still silent red-head, "stays away from us."

"She won't hurt you, Jane," Clint insisted.

Jane shrugged. "She may not have any intention of hurting Darcy or I, and that's fine, but Bucky stays with us, and she's already shown herself to be dangerous around him."

"Does this mansion come with suites?" Darcy asked, a frown crossing her face.

"Yes," Natasha replied. Her voice remained low and steady, but it seemed to lack some of the earlier hostility. Darcy and Jane eyed her, and she tilted her head. "The suites have two bedrooms connected by a sitting room. I can ask Pepper…Miss Potts to arrange for one."

Bucky nodded when they looked at him, so Jane turned back and lifted her chin in agreement. "That will do, thank you." If her voice still held an icy touch, no one remarked on it. Natasha just nodded.

The plane door opened, and Bucky eyed it. Everyone could see him getting twitchy about the whole thing. He planted himself between the door and his people. Darcy and Jane exchanged another look before moving closer. Jane put a hand on his back because she couldn't reach his shoulder while Darcy tucked her hand into the elbow of his mechanical arm.

Steve moved forward, stepping in front of Bucky. "You trusted me in Norway," he pointed out quietly. "Dr. Foster and Miss Lewis both seem to trust Clint. Trust us to keep you safe…you and them." He nodded at the women.

Bucky remained quiet, only a slight vibration betraying his tightly wound nerves. Steve didn't move, letting the silent guardian reach his own decision, and Bucky finally sighed. One slow nod gave his agreement and Steve turned to look at his team. "Agent Coulson, Barton, if you'll lead the way?" Darcy blinked in surprise at how the quiet man suddenly turned commanding. He continued. "Bucky will bring the ladies next while Nat and I bring up the rear."

"You got it, Cap," Clint nodded before tossing a smile at the trio. "Let's go. Next stop, Stark mansion." He and Coulson led the way out of the plane.

Bucky took another long, deep breath. He glanced over his shoulder, and whatever he saw or thought he saw there relaxed him. Darcy let herself be ushered out along with Jane. People all along the deck of the overgrown ship stopped and stared, watching as the small party moved from the jet to some small flying machine. Darcy could feel Bucky draw closer to them, almost looming over them in his need to keep them safe, but no one said anything or made any motion to draw close. They followed Clint and Coulson into their new ride. Steve and Natasha stepped up behind them. The hatch closed.

"Have a seat, boys and girls," Clint's light voice called back. "Ride's about to begin."

They sat down, and Darcy could still feel Bucky thrumming with wary energy. She nudged him, rolling her eyes towards the front. Then she called out. "I swear, Barton, if you crash this thing-"

Clint started talking over her. "I haven't crashed a plane since-"

"The last time you flew in New York," Natasha finished calmly.

Darcy eyed the red-head. Something had changed, but she couldn't figure out what.

"That doesn't count!" he protested. "I was shot down."

"It was still a crash."

"Whatever, Nat," he grumbled.

"Barton?" Coulson broke into the conversation. "Let's go."

"Right," Clint agreed. He started flipping switches and the motor revved up.

Darcy sat back, leaning against Bucky. "Don't crash."

"Shut up, Lewis."

The plane rose into the air and shot away towards the distant skyline of New York City.


End file.
